SATO Know the Pitch: Artemio Franchi

byBrian HallonApril 25, 2010

Stadio Artemio Franchi – Montepaschi Arena is home to Siena and the stadium decided on adding the Montepaschi Arena title simply to include the name of the main sponsor of the squad. The venue is located in Siena, Italy and hosts one of the worst Serie A squads. Siena has remained a top level team since 2003, but are always fighting off a near relegation. Last time Artemio Franchi was on the top tier before 2003 was in the 1940’s. So the venue is happy to finally have some top flight football.

Named after the former Italian Football Federation president, the stadium is among the oldest in Serie A and was built in 1923. Unfortunately, it does not have much of the great Italian football history that a lot of these old stadiums have and is considered the black sheep of the Italian football venues. One reason why is that it is a very small stadium in fact it is the smallest in all of Serie A. Only seating just over 15,000 fans it does not fulfill any standards for hosting important world matches.

The conditions of the stadium look below expected standards as well. It is one of those stadiums that looks nice from far, but is far from nice once you closely see the interior. The stands could use a significant remodeling and the venue could simply be updated in every possible way. One nice touch though is the trees that surround the outside of the grounds and the venue. It is a very unique look and at least brings something special to the venue.